Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term adult disability, affecting approximately 795,000 people each year in the U.S. The very word “stroke” indicates that no one is ever prepared for this sudden, often catastrophic event. Stroke survivors and their families can find workable solutions to most difficult situations by approaching every problem with patience, ingenuity, perseverance and creativity. Early recovery and rehabilitation can improve functions and sometimes remarkable recoveries for someone who suffered a stroke

Did you know that 89% of people with Brain Injury, Stroke, MS, and Parkinson’s Disease have trouble with speech and swallowing?

Do You Have: Changes in your voice? Difficulty or pain while swallowing? Feel like something is stuck in your throat after eating? Do you cough or choke when you swallow? You might have dysphagia and Speech Therapy can help!

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing and is usually a sign of a problem with your throat or esophagus -the muscular tube that moves food and liquids from the back of your mouth to your stomach. Although dysphagia can happen to anyone, it is most common in people who have problems of the brain or nervous system.

There are many different problems that can prevent the throat or esophagus from working properly. Some of these are minor, and others are more serious. If you have a hard time swallowing once or twice, you probably do not have a medical problem. But if you have trouble swallowing on a regular basis, you may have a more serious problem that needs treatment.

What Causes Dysphagia?

Normally, the muscles in your throat and esophagus squeeze, or contract, to move food and liquids from your mouth to your stomach without problems. Sometimes, though, food and liquids have trouble getting to your stomach. There are several types of problems that can make it hard for food and liquids to travel down your esophagus:

There is swelling, inflammation, spasms and/or weakness from immune system problems such as Scleroderma, a condition in which the tissues of the esophagus become hard and narrow.

Something is blocking your throat or esophagus. Conditions that can cause this include: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) that when un-treated can result in ulcers in the esophagus and scarring, Esophagitis or inflammation of the esophagus, Diverticula or small sacs in the walls of the esophagus or the throat, or Esophageal tumors.

A dry mouth can make dysphagia worse. This is because you may not have enough saliva to help move food out of your mouth and through your esophagus.

What Are The Symptoms Of Dysphagia?

Dysphagia can come and go, be mild or severe, or get worse over time. If you have dysphagia, you may:

Have problems getting food or liquids to go down on the first try.

Gag, choke, or cough when you swallow.

Have food or liquids come back up through your throat, mouth, or nose after you swallow.

Feel like foods or liquids are stuck in some part of your throat or chest.

Have pain when you swallow.

Have pain or pressure in your chest or have heartburn.

Lose weight because you are not getting enough food or liquid.

How Is Dysphagia Treated?

Your speech therapist will work with your doctor to evaluate what is causing your dysphagia and develop an individualized treatment program for you. Treatment your doctor may provide includes:

Dilation: Placing a device down your esophagus to carefully expand any narrow areas of your esophagus. You may need to have the treatment more than once.

Endoscopy: Using a long, thin scope to remove an object that is stuck in your esophagus.

Surgery: If you have something blocking your esophagus (such as a tumor or diverticula), you may need surgery to remove it. Surgery is also sometimes used in people who have a problem that affects the lower esophageal muscle (achalasia).

Medicines: If you have dysphagia related to GERD, heartburn, or esophagitis, prescription medicines may help prevent stomach acid from entering your esophagus. Infections in your esophagus are often treated with antibiotic medicines.

Treatment your speech therapist may provide includes:

Exercises for your swallowing muscles to train your muscles to work together to help you swallow.

Compensation Strategies: You may also need to learn how to position your body or how to put food in your mouth to be able to swallow better.

Changing the foods you eat. Your speech therapist may tell you to eat certain foods and liquids to make swallowing easier.

In rare cases, a person who has severe dysphagia may need a feeding tube because he or she is not able to get enough food and liquids.

Speech Therapy at Therapy Achievements:

Speech therapy services are typically covered by health insurance and Therapy Achievements is an in-network provider for most insurances.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make the Ambucs Therapy Bike Build a huge success! A record number of bikes were assembled and distributed to disabled children and adults. These bikes give people who are unable to operate a traditional bike the fun and freedom of riding their own bike. As therapists, we know how important mobility is to staying healthy both physically and emotionally and Therapy Achievements is proud to assist this terrific organization.

Semper Fi VolunteersTammy and Willard

Ambucs Therapy Bikes is one of the core charities of the Huntsville Semper Fi Riders organization. Semper Fi Riders is a group of Marines who love motorcycles and who’s mission is to support worthwhile causes involving America’s veterans and their families by giving of their time and sponsoring charitable events. They not only purchase the bikes but assembly and distribute them as well. Ooh Rah!

Speech Therapy helps life without words. Communication is not only how we interact with the world, it is how the world interacts with us.

Imagine you suddenly lost your ability to understand speech, to talk, to read, and to write but you had NOT lost your intelligence.

Imagine how everyday tasks would suddenly become difficult. Where simple pleasures become confusing. Imagine a place where your closest friends seem distant. A place where you could not even share a book with your own child. Just imagine how easy it could be to exploit you. And you could not even share your day with the person you love.

Imagine if YOU had aphasia. Sometimes we cannot undo what has been done.

But imagine you could make a difference in the life of someone with aphasia.

Therapy Achievements is a Rehabilitation Center that provides Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy for Balance and Movement, Speech and Swallowing, Swelling from Lymphedema and Edema, Driving Rehabilitation and Functional Living Skills for visual and cognitive re-training. We help people with Brain Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Lymphedema, Head and Neck Cancer, Vertigo and Dizziness, and other disorders that interfere with mobility and function. We offer VitalStim Technology, Saebo Technology, LSVT LOUD Treatment, LSVT BIG Treatment, and Neuro-Developmental Treatment.

June is Aphasia Awareness Month and speech therapy can help! What is aphasia? It is a communication disorder that interferes with a person’s ability to use or understand words. It results from damage or injury to language parts of the brain. Damage can occur from stroke, brain injury, dementia or other disorders of the brain. Aphasia does not impair the person’s intelligence. People who have aphasia may have difficulty speaking and finding the “right” words to complete their thoughts. They may also have problems understanding conversation, reading and comprehending written words, writing words, and using numbers. The National Aphasia Association estimates 1,000,000 Americans currently suffer from aphasia and that number will double by 2020. Do you know someone with aphasia? Speech therapy can help.

How Does Speech Therapy Help?

Speech therapy uses two approaches to treating aphasia: Impairment-based therapies focus on repairing what is broken. The therapist evaluates language strengths and weaknesses, then helps the individual exercise specific area of language impairment such as retrieving verbs and formulating sentence structure. Communication-based therapies focus on assisting the person in conveying messages and feelings with alternative means of communicating. The therapist helps identify compensatory strategies and teaches an individual to use any remaining language ability that succeeds in conveying messages. Treatment outcomes for someone with aphasia depends on factors such as age, cause of injury, type of aphasia, position and size of the brain lesion, and other factors.

Speech Therapy for Aphasia

Susan Duncan and Mandy Bell are two of the speech therapists at Therapy Achievements who work with people with Aphasia. They are members of the American Speech and Hearing Association and have advanced training in both impairment-based and communication-based treatment approaches. They are VitalStim and LSVT LOUD certified and evaluate each clients’ strengths and weaknesses and tailor a treatment plan to fit that individual’s unique needs.

Therapy Achievements is a Rehabilitation Center that provides Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy for Balance and Movement, Speech and Swallowing, Swelling from Lymphedema and Edema, Driving Rehabilitation and Functional Living Skills for visual and cognitive re-training. We help people with Brain Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Lymphedema, Head and Neck Cancer, Vertigo and Dizziness, and other disorders that interfere with mobility and function. We offer VitalStim Technology, Saebo Technology, LSVT LOUD Treatment, LSVT BIG Treatment, and Neuro-Developmental Treatment.

To learn more about how speech therapy could help someone you know, call Therapy Achievements at 256-509-4398.

The Bioness Foot Drop System is designed to help people walk more naturally, with increased speed and improved balance. The Bioness advanced technology delivers programmed, low-level electrical stimulation to activate nerves and muscles that lift the foot, giving you the mobility to step back into life. The system’s gait sensor adapts to changes in walking speed and terrain, allowing you to walk easily on stairs, grass and carpet. Comfortably worn under most clothing, the Bioness Foot Drop System’s unique design can help you eliminate the need for a rigid ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), or braces, and may reduce the risk of falls and injuries.

Therapy Achievements is having a Bioness Clinic on Tuesday April 28, 2015. To see if Bioness system will help you, sign up for a free trial at Bioness 800-211-9136.

Therapy Achievements is a Rehabilitation Center that provides Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy for Balance and Movement, Speech and Swallowing, Swelling from Lymphedema and Edema, Driving Rehabilitation and Functional Living Skills for visual and cognitive re-training. We help people with Brain Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Lymphedema, Head and Neck Cancer, Vertigo and Dizziness, and other disorders that interfere with mobility and function. We offer VitalStim Technology, Saebo Technology,LSVT LOUD Treatment, LSVT BIG Treatment, and Neuro-Developmental Treatment.

Ambucs Bike Build

Members of the local Semper Fi Riding Club were some of the volunteers who assembled adaptive bikes for people with limited mobility at the Ambucs bike build. Being mobile is vital to the health and welfare of people with movement disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy. It is very rewarding to be a part of helping 12 more people to increase their independence.

Semper Fi members assemble Ambucs bikes

AMBUCS – American Business Clubs –is dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities and fulfills this mission by:

Performing various forms of community service including building ramps and accessible playgrounds

AMBUCS – was formed in 1919 by Auburn graduate William White. His dream was to begin a national service organization for young business and professional men. Today there are more than 130 chapters in over 30 states – and they’re still growing! To learn more about AMBUCS and how to participate in adaptive bike build or their programs log on to: www.ambucs.org.

Sempre Fi Members assemble Ambucs Bikes

Types of Adaptive Bikes for People With Limited Mobility:

We are Cycling is a group that promotes all forms of cycling and classifies adaptive bikes for people with limited mobility:

Tricycles

Tricycles have three wheels, which means that the rider does not need to be able to balance. This is particularly useful for people with learning disabilities, such as Dyspraxia, and those recovering from illnesses (strokes, for example). Tricycles can be fitted with foot plates to make it easier for riders to rotate the pedals and they come in upright or recumbent (horizontal sitting position). For adults and children with balance issues, stabilizers can also be fitted to standard bikes, which makes them more like tricycles.

Tammy and Willard

Tandems

Tandems can have two, three or four wheels and are made for two people to ride together. Cycle configurations may have one rider in front of the other, or side by side in the case of three and four-wheeled machines. Tandems are particularly helpful when there’s a need to take over the pedaling or steering. Two-wheeled tandems are particularly good for people with visual impairments too. Another possibility for partnered riding is a ‘tag-along’ which consists of half a bike that bolts on to a standard 2-wheel bike. These are more commonly used for children, but there are adult versions on the market.

Hand Powered Cycles

Hand powered cycles work along the same principle as standard cycles. The pedals are replaced with handles that also steer, and riders use their arms to push the

Adaptive Trike

handles around to drive the chain and wheels. Most hand cycles have three wheels, although some have four wheels. Four-wheel cycles may have power assistance instead of the rider turning handles, or they may be built for going down hill, in which case gravity powers the bike. As with tricycles, hand cycles can have upright seats or low down recumbent seats. Specialist ‘clip on’ cycles are also available that can be attached directly to a persons wheelchair. Hand cycles are used by people with limited or no lower body mobility, e.g. because of paraplegia, leg amputations and those with joint problems such as arthritis. Hand cycles are also useful for rebuilding upper body strength – e.g. by those recovering from stroke.